Intention

"Are you awake?" Nanfeng asked softly, looking at Haku and Zabuza as they regained consciousness.

Looking at Nanfeng before him, Zabuza's gaze shifted from confusion to shock. It was hard to imagine what he had been thinking during this time.

"It's you? Akiya-kun? Why are you here... I don't think I..." Haku shook his head, confused. His last memory was of rushing forward to take a fatal Raikiri attack for Zabuza.

But now, there were no wounds on his body. However, the dull ache served as a reminder that he had indeed just experienced a fierce battle.

"It was just my genjutsu, deceiving all of you," Nanfeng said, not hiding anything as he explained his actions to Zabuza and Haku.

No matter how arrogant Zabuza was, he became somewhat silent now. This ability to pull everyone into genjutsu without anyone noticing meant that Nanfeng was definitely not just a simple Medical Ninja as he appeared on the surface.

"Why did you do this?" Zabuza asked, not quite understanding.

"Let's just say it would be a shame for both of you to die here in the Land of Waves. One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and an orphan of the Haku Clan – that's quite a bit of strength and connection," Nanfeng said, shrugging his shoulders.

"But aren't we enemies? Is it really a good thing for you to spare the lives of your enemies?" Zabuza's voice deepened.

Although Nanfeng still had trump cards, escaping from Nanfeng shouldn't be difficult for him and Haku working together.

No matter how much of a genius he was, he was still just a twelve-year-old boy. At this time, Zabuza was at most a Chunin. Nanfeng, no matter how much of a genius, wouldn't break this limit.

"Then, you can try..." Nanfeng opened his eyes again, his light purple pupils fixed on Zabuza. An instinctive sense of dread made Zabuza abandon the thought.

He had a premonition that if he made any move, those eyes could control him in an instant. As it turned out, his intuition was spot on.

"You both still have my genjutsu inscribed on you. If you make any move, the genjutsu will activate instantly. This is a genjutsu modified from the Sharingan, and you don't seem capable of breaking free from it instantly," Nanfeng said, his words striking like lightning.

Sharingan? Hearing this term, Zabuza stared intently at Nanfeng's pupils. What kind of new Dojutsu was this? An evolution of the Sharingan? But there had never been any news of this kind in the ninja world before!

"So, can you listen to me properly now?" Nanfeng said in a deep voice. Zabuza and Haku nodded mechanically.

"I hope that no one finds out that I saved you today. I am worried about the current state of the ninja world. Not only is there internal strife in Kirigakure, but my home, Konoha, may also face turmoil in the future. To have some ability to protect myself, I've decided to forge a good relationship with you. As for your identities, I do have an idea for an arrangement..."

Nanfeng raised a finger and wrote the name "Gato" on the ground.

Seeing the name, Zabuza's eyes flashed. Gato was indeed a good alias to hide behind, and money was also a good thing for them.

What did ninjas do missions for? Wasn't it to earn money and live a better life?

Now that there was an easier path to wealth, why not try it?

"Then you..." Zabuza began to ask something, but Nanfeng simply waved his hand.

"I don't have time to stay with you for long. Although my attitude towards Konoha is still neutral for now, it doesn't mean I won't return to Konoha. I still need to complete more plans in Konoha for a while. As for things here, I can only entrust them to you. How you complete them depends on yourselves. I only hope that when I'm in a desperate situation in the future, I can still find refuge with you."

Nanfeng's words were simple, but Zabuza heard a deeper meaning.

The strength Nanfeng displayed was definitely that of an elite Jonin, even reaching the level of a Kage-level candidate. For someone like that to express worry indicated that the future of the ninja world was indeed not optimistic.

"Oh, and one more task for you. If you have nothing else to do, keep an eye on the Akatsuki's movements," Nanfeng continued.

"Akatsuki? I know a little about that organization. My former comrade, Juzo Biwa, was once a member, but he seems to be dead now," Zabuza said, shaking his head. Mentioning the death of his former comrade still made him sigh.

"Observe their actions. These guys are all unadulterated... super idealists," Nanfeng described them as idealists, but with the modifier "super" added before it.

Ideals were a good thing, but when people relied too much on ideals, they would turn into unadulterated lunatics. The Akatsuki were all such people!

"Alright, if there's any news..." Zabuza continued to ask.

"Keep it with you for now. Keep this safe. I'll be by your side soon." Nanfeng placed a special kunai in front of Zabuza. Seeing the style of the kunai, Zabuza was completely stunned.

A kunai for the Flying Thunder God Technique! Could it be that this mysterious ninja before him had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique?

Of course not. Nanfeng could use the Flying Thunder God Technique, but he still needed to further understand the principles behind the ninjutsu before he could create his own space-time ninjutsu based on it.

"Well then, I'll be taking my leave. I wish you success with your plan." Nanfeng's figure disappeared before them. The swap plan, which had been prepared long ago, was carried out simultaneously. Kakashi and Sasuke noticed none of Nanfeng's actions just now.

"Lord Zabuza... what do we do next?" Haku asked, still in his usual submissive manner. In his heart, as long as he could work with Zabuza, it didn't matter where they were.

"Let's follow Akiya-kun's instructions. If even someone like him thinks the ninja world will be turbulent in the future, we're likely to face more danger. Let's protect ourselves first!" After experiencing death in genjutsu, the relationship between Zabuza and Haku had progressed slightly.

They were no longer master and servant, but closer comrades and partners, relying on each other to survive in this lonely ninja world.

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